The present disclosure relates to content delivery systems and billing systems for such content delivery systems including cable and Internet data communications services.
A significant portion of Internet service plans provide Internet connectivity through a cable modem. Such Internet connectivity is often provided by a cable TV service provider. It is common for such cable-based Internet service to be provided along with conventional cable television service. For example, a single coaxial cable simultaneously delivers signals for conventional cable TV service as well as Internet data to a customer location (such as a residential house). At the customer premises, the cable line is typically split so that the conventional cable television service is transmitted to one or more set top boxes connected to one or more televisions, while the Internet data follows a separate line to a cable modem. The cable modem can then provide Internet connectivity (wireless or physical connectivity) to multiple devices such as desktop computer, Voice-over-IP telephones, laptop computers, cellular telephones, tablet computers, etc.
A significant portion of television service content (usually delivered by cable, satellite, or broadcast) is moving more and more towards Internet Protocol (IP) or IP-based delivery mechanisms. There are various third-party services that provide movies, TV shows, and other multimedia content via IP-based delivery. Cable television service providers that also provide Internet connectivity (e.g. via cable modem) can also now provide a portion of television programming (including live TV) through consumer operated computer applications (e.g. a software program provided by the cable operator that is downloaded and executes on that consumers home PC or mobile device). These consumer software applications receive television programming via IP-based transfer instead of conventional television signaling. By way of a specific example, a desktop computer or tablet computer can have an application installed that enables a user to select and view television broadcasts supplied from the cable TV service provider, including real-time or live television service, that is streamed over the Internet and received in IP packets through that consumer's cable modem, as opposed to being transmitted to a set top box and decoded into conventional television signals (e.g. HDMI signals). In other words, in addition to delivering cable TV service to set top boxes, the cable service provider can also stream cable television service over the Internet connection using IP packets.